And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning made them male and female", and said, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh"? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.
~ Matthew 19: 4-6
9 1/2 years ago, Kevin swept me off my feet by asking, "So, what do ya' think?" (No, really...that's how he proposed.) And 8 years ago, today, we got married. It was truly the best day ever! We planned for a year. And when I say we, I mean my mom and me. Pretty much the only input that Kevin gave (not that I was controlling...and not that he wasn't asked for more) was just that there was to be NO Kenny G allowed! It was a simple, but beautiful wedding at my hometown church. We were surrounded by friends and family, I had a beautiful dress, and my dad stopped crying long enough to take some decent pictures after it was all over. You can't ask for much more than that! Aside from the flowers being, shall we say, not quite what I had in mind, everything else was...perfect!
~ Matthew 19: 4-6
9 1/2 years ago, Kevin swept me off my feet by asking, "So, what do ya' think?" (No, really...that's how he proposed.) And 8 years ago, today, we got married. It was truly the best day ever! We planned for a year. And when I say we, I mean my mom and me. Pretty much the only input that Kevin gave (not that I was controlling...and not that he wasn't asked for more) was just that there was to be NO Kenny G allowed! It was a simple, but beautiful wedding at my hometown church. We were surrounded by friends and family, I had a beautiful dress, and my dad stopped crying long enough to take some decent pictures after it was all over. You can't ask for much more than that! Aside from the flowers being, shall we say, not quite what I had in mind, everything else was...perfect!
After that we went on the best vacation ever...our road trip honeymoon! We drove to New Orleans, ate at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. (took our picture in front of Forrest and Jenny's wedding attire), and stayed the night. We drove along the coast into Florida. We stopped for a couple of hours to enjoy the beautiful Pensacola beach, swam yards away from dolphins, and went to a dock to take a picture of ourselves "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay". We continued to Orlando, had the most amazing time getting rained on at Sea World, and went boogie boarding at Cocoa Beach. We drove down to Miami, stayed in a cute Art Deco hotel, drove down "A1A, beach front avenue" and ate in South Beach. We drove across Alligator Alley, saw an actual alligator on the side of the road (sure, it was a baby, but whatever), and drove all the way up to Tennessee. We went to Nashville and stopped at the Country Music Hall of Fame, but we didn't want to actually pay to go on the tour, so we just took our pictures next to autographed pictures of Tim McGraw and Faith Hill (because we sound just like them, of course). Then we went to Memphis, had some great Bar-B-Q, and went to Graceland...pretty awesome. Finally, we drove through Little Rock (didn't stop and see anything there...not such an exciting place) and made our way back to Lewisville. 4,000 miles and not a single fight! We had a few missed turns, but we had A LOT of laughs, and had some baby names picked out (good thing, too, because a month and a half later, I got pregnant)!
I have my parents to thank for setting such a wonderful example of what marriage should be like. I don't ever remember seeing them fight. Sure, there were arguments (or as my dad would call them..."discussions"), but they always seemed to either resolve it or let it go for the time being. Their bedroom door was always left open...so it was just kind of an unspoken thing between us kids to stay away on the occasion that it was closed. Although they were never afraid to gross us out or embarrass us by telling us stories about "Tarzan and Jane", or kiss in front of us, or give little pats on the behind. (You remember the stories, right Jenn?) I know...gross, right?
People often say that marriage is hard. I don't think that's necessarily true. It's all the stuff that comes with it that's hard: money (or the lack thereof), parenthood, and other responsibilities. And sure, there might be a couple of things that Kevin does that annoy me (I know...just a couple...that's funny, right?!), and maybe I might have some things about me that aren't always so wonderful (although I can't think of what they would be), but I think all of those hard things in life would be infinitely harder if I didn't have him. I'm just so blessed to have my best friend with me every day! (I love you, Cakes)...OK, everyone can stop gagging now...the mushy stuff is over.
WOW! Once again, I have kind of rambled and made this post a bit longer than I had anticipated. Oh well, I think you've come to expect that from me. Anyway, I'd love to hear some wedding/honeymoon/marriage stories of yours, too. Happy Anniversary to me!!
I have my parents to thank for setting such a wonderful example of what marriage should be like. I don't ever remember seeing them fight. Sure, there were arguments (or as my dad would call them..."discussions"), but they always seemed to either resolve it or let it go for the time being. Their bedroom door was always left open...so it was just kind of an unspoken thing between us kids to stay away on the occasion that it was closed. Although they were never afraid to gross us out or embarrass us by telling us stories about "Tarzan and Jane", or kiss in front of us, or give little pats on the behind. (You remember the stories, right Jenn?) I know...gross, right?
People often say that marriage is hard. I don't think that's necessarily true. It's all the stuff that comes with it that's hard: money (or the lack thereof), parenthood, and other responsibilities. And sure, there might be a couple of things that Kevin does that annoy me (I know...just a couple...that's funny, right?!), and maybe I might have some things about me that aren't always so wonderful (although I can't think of what they would be), but I think all of those hard things in life would be infinitely harder if I didn't have him. I'm just so blessed to have my best friend with me every day! (I love you, Cakes)...OK, everyone can stop gagging now...the mushy stuff is over.
WOW! Once again, I have kind of rambled and made this post a bit longer than I had anticipated. Oh well, I think you've come to expect that from me. Anyway, I'd love to hear some wedding/honeymoon/marriage stories of yours, too. Happy Anniversary to me!!
I'm pretty sure you know most of our story, but some of the others who read your blog won't. Dad and I were married in the wintertime in SDak because I had always wanted red and white for my colors and they weren't spring, summer or fall colors. Besides, if it was cold enough, we didn't figure too many people would want to be outside decorating our car....our beautiful gold Gremlin!
ReplyDeleteIt's a miracle we ever got through the day, I think. I was sicker than a dog, your Dad backed the car into a ditch of snow and was very late getting there (I was afraid he had stood me up), my medicine made me sleepy and a little dopey because I stood up during the service like I was ready to go and the priest was still doing the homily! (He just made a joke about how anxious I was and told me to sit back down and wait a minute). People who know me well know that this was not uncommon behavior for me. I don't take medicine well and embarrasing moments are my trademark. Everyone had a good laugh.
We had the WORST honeymoon ever and there simply isn't enough room to recount all the reasons why.
My folks were terrific, especially considering that I chose to change from Lutheran to Catholic and did not have the wedding in my hometown. I made my own dress, Mom made all the food, and Dad asked me just before escorting me down the aisle "Are you sure you want to do this?" I think he was concerned that I had chosen a man just like him to marry.
But here we are, 37 years later. Blessed beyond words.